100 Places To See With Your Dog: Hot Springs, Arkansas

I fell in love with Arkansas a few years ago while passing through on our way from Arizona to New York.  It was just a convenient stopover at first, I didn't realize just how much natural beauty there is in Arkansas.  Now I fully understand why they call Arkansas THE NATURAL STATE.

We love going to dog friendly Arkansas!

Many people visit Arkansas just to see the well known city of Little Rock, but to the North and South of Little Rock there is so much more to see and do.  The natural beauty of the Ozark Mountains to the North, in places like EUREKA SPRINGS is positively majestic! Hot Springs, in the Southern part of the state is equally stunning.

During one of our cross country trips we traveled to the Southern part of Arkansas to the beautiful historic town of HOT SPRINGS, where natural hot springs created the popularity of this town.  There's a Scenic Highway Route that heads South from Interstate 40 that is so lovely.  It takes longer to get there via the scenic route but it's so worth the ride.  The long, winding road through beautiful mountains leads straight into the town of Hot Springs.

Natural Hot Springs can be found around all the town of Hot Springs.

You'll see beautiful natural hot springs & pools all around the town of Hot Springs.  The average temperature of the water in the hot springs is 143 degrees Fahrenheit so I don't recommend sticking your hand in it!  The springs produce close to a million gallons of water each day!  In the photo above, you can see steam rising out of one of the hot springs.  At the top of this hill behind me is the Grand Promenade, a lovely scenic walking path about a half mile long that's dog friendly.  There are several more trails right off the Grand Promenade you can follow as well.

The natural hot springs created the establishment of bathhouses in the 1800's, where people went to bathe in the natural hot springs in search of health and healing.  The properties on Bathhouse Row have been beautifully restored and preserved for historic purposes.

Today there are spa's in Hot Springs but they are more about overall health and wellness than only bathing in natural spring water.  However, you can still soak in the natural spring water in some of the spas and resort hotels along bathhouse row and in other parts of the town.   The most interesting part of "Bathhouse Row" is the beautiful architecture and the history behind the bathhouses. 

The historic Arlington Hotel is a focal point in the town of Hot Springs.  If we had made reservations in advance we could have stayed at this beautiful, dog friendly hotel!  The hotel even has it's own bathhouse.  There are several dog friendly hotels in Hot Springs, but I highly recommend advance reservations or you may end up scrambling around trying to find lodging. 

The historic, dog friendly Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas

This beautiful statue sits on the road divider that runs in front of the Arlington Hotel.

This sign stands on the lawn in front of the Arlington Hotel.  If you're a baseball fan, you'll want to see this!  Oddly enough, Hot Springs became a site for major league baseball's Spring Training in the late 1800's.  In fact, in the late 1800's the Chicago Whitestockings set up Spring training in Hot Springs.  Today that team is known as the Chicago Cubs, World Series Champions!  Many of baseball's legends trained and played in Hot Springs.  You can learn more about that by going on the Hot Springs Baseball Trail. 

Hot Springs also has a bit of a sordid past.  It was once an area plagued by organized crime.  Illegal gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging were a problem from the late 1800's  through the mid 1900's.  Strolling through this town surrounded by such natural beauty, it's hard to believe it was once a popular hangout for gangsters like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and other mobsters!

The infamous Arlington Hotel, popular with old time baseball greats.

There is so much beautiful architecture all throughout the town of Hot Springs.  Some of the most beautiful architecture can be found along Bathhouse Row.

There is a lot of beautiful architecture in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Although Hot Springs was settled in the 1800’s, there’s evidence that the hot springs were utilized for thousands of years.  According to local Native American mythology, the hot springs were considered a healing place, sacred territory of the Great Spirit.  Native Americans referred to Hot Springs as "The Valley of the Vapors" and the area was considered neutral territory, where all tribes could peacefully partake of the healing waters.

Arkansas has natural beauty in abundance and in general is quite dog friendly.  There are lots of attractions and things to do where your dog is welcome throughout the state, especially hiking through the beautiful forest areas.   We hope to return to Arkansas many more times in the coming years.

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Have you ever visited Hot Springs, Arkansas?  Do you think it would be a fun trip?  Leave us a comment & share your thoughts, we always LOVE hearing from you!